Lord Alexander Hawke is set to return to action for his most challenging mission yet on March 25, 2025, in Ted Bell’s Monarch, the latest thriller in Ted Bell’s beloved NewYork Times bestselling series, written by author and The Real Book Spy founder Ryan Steck.

Hawke, a British super spy who reads like James Bond on steroids, first appeared in Ted Bell’s acclaimed debut novel, Hawke (2003), which the world’s most famous author, James Patterson, called a “swashbuckling, spine-tingling, bloody good masterpiece of an adventure novel.” Since then, Lord Hawke has starred in twelve novels, on his way to becoming one of the most-read heroes in the genre today. Most recently, Hawke was seen in Sea Hawke (2021), the final novel from Bell, who passed away on January 20, 2023.

Last fall, it was announced that author Ryan Steck, who had worked directly with Bell behind the scenes for nearly a decade, had signed a two-book deal to continue Ted Bell’s series, beginning with Monarch. Steck, known to many as The Real Book Spy himself, is the author of Fields of Fire, Lethal Range, Redd Christmas, and Out For Blood. His Matthew Redd series, which follows a former Marine Raider who returns to his hometown in Montana for the first time in a decade to investigate the death of a loved one only to uncover a global conspiracy that only he can stop, has been endorsed by major #1 New York Times bestselling authors Brad Thor, C.J. Box, Jack Carr, Mark Greaney, Nelson DeMille, James Rollins, Brad Meltzer, Kyle Mills, as well as Don Winslow, T.J. Newman, Brad Taylor, Gregg Hurwitz, and Steve Berry.

Now, seven months after it was first announced that Alex Hawke would return, details about Ted Bell’s Monarch are finally coming out.

“When I was first approached about continuing Ted’s series,” said Ryan Steck, “I knew there was only one way to bring back Alex Hawke . . . I had to go big!”

“Ted was a mentor to me and a close friend, and I was fortunate enough to play a role behind the scenes for many years, so I already knew Hawke and Ted’s universe quite well. For this book, I actually started with the title. After Ted’s passing, I went back over a decade’s worth of emails and text messages, and years back, Ted himself had actually planned to title one of his previous books Monarch, but his publisher at the time didn’t think it was a good fit. I remember thinking it was a strong title, and I wrote Ted an email to tell him that. He wrote back almost immediately, saying, ‘It’s a great title, buddy. One day, there will be a Hawke novel titled Monarch. Count on it!'”

“So I knew right away when I signed on,” continued Steck, “that I was going to write a book called Monarch as a tribute to Ted, but I also knew I needed a big, fun, action-packed story worthy of pulling Lord Hawke from Teakettle cottage, and what could be bigger than finding out that King Charles is missing?”

“A labor of love, writing Monarch was truly an honor, and I cannot wait for Ted’s legion of fans to see what Lord Alexander Hawke is up against next March.”

Check out the official cover art and plot details below.

Release Date: March 25, 2025

Berkley

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Ted Bell’s New York Times bestselling series returns with Lord Alexander Hawke facing his greatest challenge yet—to find the missing king of Britain.

Following a successful but costly mission to destroy an enemy outpost in Antarctica, Alex Hawke is looking forward to some quiet time at Teakettle Cottage, his home in Bermuda, along with his family. But he’s not a man who can avoid trouble.

Former Chief Inspector of Scottland Yard Ambrose Congreve calls him with stunning news. Just days away from a controversial vote threatening to tear the United Kingdom apart at the seams, King Charles has disappeared while vacationing at Balmoral Castle. The prime minister believes she can keep the news quiet for no more than 72 hours. After that, Britain will be plunged into chaos.
 
With the fate of the kingdom hanging in the balance, it’s up to Lord Hawke to find and rescue the missing monarch before it’s too late.

Ted Bell was the former chairman of the board and creative director of Young & Rubicam, one of the world’s largest advertising agencies. He was the New York Times bestselling author of the Alex Hawke series as well as the YA adventure novels Nick of Time and The Time Pirate. He passed away in January 2023.

Readers excited to pre-order Ted Bell’s Monarch can now do so here or anywhere else books are sold.